As cultured as a Simon Elliot square pass

A Few Thoughts Before Saprissa

I am not sure what team will come out of the tunnel in the notoriously difficult Estadio Saprissa. Marshall picked up a knee injury, Hejduk is resting, Padula is getting over the flu, and Brunner is suspended. That is the entire starting defense of the Crew. The team is deep, but not that deep.

I guess we can expect Iro and O’Rourke to pair up in central defense and Zayner will go if he is healthy. If Warzycha goes with a 4 man back line, expect Grendi, Elenio, or Burns to step into a very unfamiliar role.

Looking through the roster, I guess I see a 3-5-2, with a great emphasis on defense from the midfield to cover for a makeshift three man backline.

——————Hesmer——————–

Zayner————Iro———–O’Rourke

———Moffat——–Carroll————-

Rogers———Gaven————–Ekpo

——Schelotto———-Lenhart——–

Iro, Zayner, and O’Rourke would form a fairly mobile backline. Moffat and Carroll would be asked to work touchline to touchline for defensive cover. Gaven would be the linking player who can track back on defense in the middle. Ekpo and Rogers will be asked to test the flanks, Schelotto plays his usual role and Lenhart tries to hold up the ball. That is merely a guess given the lack of personnel at the Crew’s disposal.

The game is on tape delay at 2am ET on FSC, but there are internet streams around that will show the game live. Apparently, Claddagh will still have a viewing party using an internet stream.